By Faith: Giving to God With Our Heart

4 Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

15 But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

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4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

Does faith in God make a difference?

Whether a person believes in God or not, food and clothing cost the same, cars don’t last any longer, bones take the same amount of time to heal, and good or bad things happen.

Look at Cain and Abel. Both had the same parents, the same kind of upbringing. Both had been taught to worship God and to bring offerings. Each had developed a successful livelihood. Yet they turned out so completely different. One became a killer; the other got killed! Faith in God did not spare Abel.

The difference between these two was clearly more than parents, home, environment, and training. The difference was deeper. God saw the difference in their hearts. The difference was in the place each had in their hearts for God. In Cain’s heart, God was crowded out. God definitely took second place to Cain. Cain’s number one concern was with the comfort, prosperity, and power of Cain. No doubt it showed in what he brought God as an offering: average, maybe even second-rate, produce. Abel, on the other hand, brought God his finest and best. And he brought it thankfully.

Two brothers. Two kinds of offerings. But to God only one kind was acceptable. Watch what you give to God—and the attitude with which you give it.

Dear God, help us to give you first place in our lives. May we offer to you what matters to us and is pleasing and acceptable to you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.